Mafia VI: Gangs of Denbrain

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Mafia VI (Gangs of Denbrain ;D) has begun!!! Please nobody post until I have made Posts 1, 2, 3 and 4 of this topic (then someone mysterious will make post 5, THEN you guys can post), I just need to copy em on!

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Basic Overview: Baddies (and Ninja) strike at night, while the Innocents try to lynch them during the day by majority vote

RULES:

1) only play if you've read the rules, the roles, etc, and previous Mafia games!!! You need to know what you're getting into and how much time it takes up

2) no PMing behind the scenes!!!! Not only is this one of the stupidest things you could do in Mafia (you don't know who you're giving your role to and who is asking for your role, etc), even if you do know another person's role (or think you do) you can't PM them behind the scenes OR CONTACT THEM IN ANY WAY. There are notable exceptions, which will be mentioned later. If you aren't one of the exceptions, forget about BTSC (behind-the-scenes-contact)

3) each day in Mafia-time will finish 24 hours after the night post, and if you haven't voted/discussed/participated/etc during that time, you will be out of the game for inactivity. This time is set in stone and will be the end time no matter if everyone is done voting before this. Each night will end 18 hours after the day ends, however if I get all the necessary PMs in before the 18 hours, I will do the night post then. I'll probably extend night post estimates to when I'm awake and stuff (ie, I might say "night post in 20 hours" if I know I'll be awake and ready in 20 hours). In other words, days are always 24 hours long, while nights vary but are usually around 18 hours long

4) please don't be rude ;D be nice and courteous and respectful

5) after you die, you can post in the topic, but only once (it's called your "ghost post") not about anything important- ie, you can't reveal your role, make arguments, take part in strategy discussions, etc. And you have to post in GRAY!

6) Mafia is fun I will be choosing the final roster of 21 players, picking from the signer-uppers very carefully. I don't want to leave anyone out, but I don't want to have any inactives. If you weren't picked, it may be that we just don't have any room, and I won't be accepting any late-joiners either, it messes up the game (cough Mafia 1 cough Mafia III). There are exactly 21 players, no exceptions. We do have a backup list for emergencies, though. So please keep that in mind, and also Mafia is a game of elimination, sort of... so don't be mad or sad if/when you die

7) this rule may be unnecessary but you should never challenge the host ;D hehehehe

8) I will crack down hard on nonsense posts! We are all guilty of it, but in Mafia VI it won't be allowed. If you post youtube vids, random stuff, maps, bored posts, and other 'nonsense posts', you will be given a warning. If you do it after that, there will be serious consequences

A Few Points to Keep in Mind:

1) There will be no clues in any day posts

2) There will be no clues in night posts

3) Acting on a clue is stupid. I put them into Mafia II so they could be chuckled at retrospectively, not acted on during the game, which fueled bad gameplay in Mafia IV and V especially

4) There WILL be clues, though, but in a different fashion. You'll see

5) If someone outs their role, that does not mean they are that role. And even if someone contradicts soon and says that THEY are that role, that means nothing either. Be smart and not trusting. The Doctor and Healer don't have as much saving-power as you might think, and it's risky to come out with a role, especially an Inspector or Spy-like role. Especially since the Doctor cannot save the Inspector and the Healer cannot save the Spy

6) Never trust anyone! Even people you think/know are Innocents. The baddies are aware of the advantage of coming out with your role, so be prepared for dastardly tricks ;D

7) Laying low is NOT a successful strategy- people get very suspicious (and the host gets mad) if you don't participate, and the inactivity-kill-rule is taken seriously as well

Night Posts:

1) Nobody's identity is revealed in a night post to any group (killer or otherwise), except the Defender and Bankroller, both of which are publically revealed. Other things may be logically revealed based on events (ie, only one QA left), but aren't 'officially' revealed (the other QA could be laying low, etc)

2) The hierarchy of kills and "what happens first" depends on what actions are taking place that night

* 3 Mafiosos (Godfather, Thief, Bankroller) - know who each other are. Can converse freely all the time. The Mafia kills each night. Each of the Mafiosos have a special night ability. The Mafia know who the members of their rival gang, the Yakuza, are (but not who is Oyabun and who is Shatei)

* 2 Quarky Agents (Master of Espionage, Master of Deception) - do not know who each other are (at first). The QAs kill each night. Must have both to kill. If they do both pick the same person or each other, they get BTSC

* 2 Yakuza (Oyabun, Shatei) - a new gang in Denbrain who have BTSC, straight out of the archipelagos of the Far East. The Yakuza kills on every night except the first night, until absorbed by the expanding Mafia crime family (which the Yakuza can then communicate with the Mafia)

* 1 Grim Reaper - a solo spectre of darkness who kills every even-numbered night. Invincible for first night and first day

win conditions for baddies:

* Mafia - kill everyone except Mafiosos and Yakuza (regardless of what stage of their game the Yakuza is at)

* QAs - kill the Phoenix. However, Lord Phoenix is invincible to the QAs until his/her transformation after the GR dies. If the QAs fail to kill the Phoenix somehow, they are immediately notified (and are given BTSC) and a secondary mission is given: lynch a specific person the next day (the person is chosen randomly by me and is not a QA). If the QAs fail the secondary mission, their aliases are discovered and they are mass-lynched along with the actual person being lynched

* Yakuza - the Yakuza have their own gang goals, but if their goals fail, they will team up with the Mafia. The goals are unknown to the Innocents (and every other non-Yakuza baddie), but everyone will be notified if the Yakuza fail, and after that the Yakuza will be assimilated into the Mafia

* GR - kill the Ninja. If the Grim Reaper fails to kill the Ninja (ie, the Ninja dies some other way), the GR is outta the game

mafia special roles:

* Godfather - [any night, not 2x in a row] see the faction of 1 person (a faction is: mafia/innocent/QA/yakuza/GR). The Godfather is told instantly and thus can act on that information that night. Also, Vagabond is a different faction unless the separate win condition was not met, in that case Vagabond appears as an Innocent

* Thief - [any night, not 2x in a row] each night, the Thief can pick from two actions: Steal or Frame. If they Steal, it's an identity theft, and everyone is informed of the breakin (and who was broken into) and the Thief assumes that person's identity tomorrow in case the Spy spies on the Thief. If the Spy spies on the brokenin person, they get their normal identity. If the Inspector was going to be PMed the Thief's identity the next day, they instead are PMed the name of the person broken into. Stealing has no affect on the Janitor's discovery ability. The other action the Thief can do is to Frame one person. Nobody except the Thief knows who was framed, but everyone is informed that a framing did in fact occur. The framing has no affect on the Thief's identity, and no affect on the Inspector, but if the Spy spies on the framed person, they get the results 'Mafioso'. Like stealing, framing does not affect the Janitor's spying ability. Also, see the Janitor role for a special case regarding the Thief

* Bankroller - [can be used every night!] send the host a message which will be posted in the night post- ie, a "message from the Mafia". If the Bankroller dies at any time (night, day, whatever), the Bankroller's identity as a Mafioso is revealed, and also the specific identity as 'Bankroller'

Quarky Agent roles:

* Master of Deception - if the SB lie-detects a statement by the MoD, the MoD can decide what my reply will be (true, false, does not know)

* Master of Espionage - can spy on one person every night. Gets told "innocent" or "baddie" only after the night post. Can be influenced by the Thief

Yakuza roles:

* Oyabun - the master of the small Yakuza crime ring. The Oyabun's ability is similar to the Bankroller's, and can be used every night just like the Bankroller's

* Shatei - a common goon of the Yakuza. Has no abilities, but if the Oyabun dies before the Shatei, the Shatei takes the Oyabun's place and gains the Oyabun's ability

Grim Reaper ability: the Grim Reaper has an ability called "death scent" which he/she can use on odd nights (ie, the nights that the GR doesn't kill). Death scent allows the GR to "sniff" one player. If/when that player is killed (it could be any time, once they're sniffed they're sniffed forever), the Grim Reaper is given a random living member of the faction of the killers. If the faction that killed the player has no living members, the GR is informed of this. If the person was a QA and is killed by the Vagabond, and the Vagabond is still alive, the GR is given the Vagabond's identity. If the person is lynched, the GR is told the name of a random living Innocent. The player that is 'sniffed' is informed that they have been 'sniffed', but the group as a whole is not

Mafia Safehouse: the Mafia own a safehouse somewhere in the tangled streets of Denbrain, heavily fortified and highly secret. Each night, they can choose to hide any Mafioso in the safehouse- it can be the same person from the night before, etc. Whoever is in the safehouse stays there all night and cannot kill or be killed- but they can still use their ability. The Bankroller can still pass on his/her message, the Godfather can still collect info from his/her cronies, and the Thief can sneak out in the wee hours of the morning to make a last-minute theft. Since the Mafioso in the safehouse cannot kill, it's fine if there are other Mafiosos to perform the kill, but if there is only 1 Mafioso left, he/she has to make the decision: safehouse, or kill?

* Exception: the Janitor has the keys to everything, including the safehouse. The Janitor can kill someone inside the safehouse

*** Some abilities I will not PM a prompt asking about it. The users of these abilities must PM me, I won't wait for them. Those abilities are the Mafia special abilities (Godfather, Thief, Bankroller), the Mafia's decision as to who goes in the safehouse, the Oyabun's ability, the GR's death scent ability, SB's lie detect and explosion abilities, Policeman's arrest, and TC's vote removal. To the others, I will PM to ask about it

Innocents: win by killing all the baddies. Each Innocent has a special role...

saving roles = Doctor, Healer, Lord Phoenix

* Doctor - save one person each night. Not same person 2 nights in a row. Can save self only once. The Doctor cannot save the Inspector (ie, the save fails)

* Healer - same as Doctor, but different methods of medicine. The Healer cannot save the Spy (ie, the save fails)

* Lord Phoenix - [cannot be killed by QAs] the master of Denbrain. Little do people know, Lord Phoenix is actually a real phoenix- a bird of fire. This fiery phantasm is capable of repelling the spectral Grim Reaper, and Lord Phoenix takes full use of this, saving people on even nights from the Grim Reaper. Lord Phoenix cannot save himself/herself (for the sole reason that saving someone else effectively saves himself/herself), but Lord Phoenix CAN save someone two times in a row. If Lord Phoenix is targeted on an even night while he/she is out protecting against the GR, the night post says that the player wasn't there, but does not give the identity of Lord Phoenix (though obviously the group/person that went after Lord Phoenix knows). Once the Grim Reaper dies, Lord Phoenix will discover his/her true calling as 'the Phoenix', and transform permanently into the firebird, and discover another purpose (which has to do with saving people, but the common Innocent doesn't know what it is). However, after this transformation, Lord Phoenix becomes vulnerable to the QAs

discovery roles = Inspector, Spy, Suicide Bomber

* Inspector - gets PMed, every day, a baddie identity in this order: Mafia, QA, Mafia, QA, Mafia. The order is determined at the beginning of the game by me randomly, so dead people may be included. The Inspector is fresh out of Pengville and is not familiar with how the Yakuza works and never gets PMed Yakuza identities (even if they are assimilated into the Mafia), and of course the GR is un-Inspectable

* Spy - PMs me one player each day, I reveal their role, but not specific role within a baddie faction. If they are Innocent, however, the role-reveal is as specific as possible

* Suicide Bomber - [knows Inspector & is known by Mafia] the Suicide Bomber is an ex-terrorist who is now sided with the Innocents. At any point DURING THE DAY ONLY, the SB can PM to me a victim, and both the SB and the victim die in the explosion. I will make it unclear which of the two was the SB and which of the two was the victim. There is a 1/4 chance that the SB will survive, and a 1/4 that the victim will survive- those events are independent so there is a 1/16 chance both will survive. Again, it will be unknown which of the two (SB or victim) that any survivor(s) are. When the SB PMs in the target, they can either choose to have it announced immediately, or in the day post. If the SB is lynched, they'll be PMed a prompt if they want to blow someone up at the lynching, otherwise it's a normal lynching. If the SB is killed at night, there is a 2/3 chance they will blow up and kill a random one of their attackers. The explosion does not affect the Grim Reaper whether done at night or in the day, so the Grim Reaper will be seen as one of the "survivors" if at day, or if at night, the Grim Reaper will just scythe down the SB as if the 1/3 chance of no explosion occurred. Also, the Suicide Bomber, being an ex-terrorist, is highly skilled at torture and knows when people are lying. Any night, but not 2 nights in a row, the SB can pick one TRUE/FALSE statement that someone has said and PMs it in. I will tell them one of three options: (1) TRUE, (2) FALSE, or (3) the person who said this statement does not know whether it is true or false. The person quoted MUST be still alive. If the person quoted is the MoD, the MoD is PMed and can choose my reply (TRUE/FALSE/does not know). However, there's another catch: it's been a long time since the SB was a torture-happy terrorist, and he/she isn't up to speed with today's pro-lying techniques. There are just some statements that are too ambiguious ("I'm not... a baddie..."), non-true-false ("I like the color blue"), direct-to-test (like "I am Innocent", etc) that the SB just cannot lie detect them. In this case, I will inform the SB and he/she can feel free to choose a different statement

killing roles = Ninja and his/her Defender

* Defender - [knows who Ninja is] every night that the Yakuza kill, the Defender can save someone against the Yakuza only. Also, no matter when the Defender dies, his/her role is revealed

* Ninja - [does not know who Defender is, but knows who Janitor is] ancient warrior and nemesis of the Grim Reaper. While the Defender is alive, the Ninja cannot be killed at night, but the Ninja can be lynched any time. The Ninja kills for the Innocents on prime-numbered nights (2,3,5,7,etc). When/if the Defender dies, the Ninja is vulnerable at night

* Janitor - [knows who Ninja is] the Janitor, after his/her many years of watching and learning, has adopted many vital skills. Each night, I roll a 6-sided dice to determine the action of the Janitor (Saving, Killing, Eavesdropping (pick three people and get told which two of them have BTSC, if none of them have BTSC, or if all three have BTSC), Discovering (just like Spy), Cleaning (the Janitor is off cleaning and nobody can find him/her to kill), or free choice of the previous 5 if a 6 is rolled). The Janitor picks a person other than themself and then I tell them what the action is, to which they can either decline or carry out the action (or choose the action to carry out, if I rolled a 6). Also, the Janitor doesn't have much possessions or ID and thus the Thief cannot steal from them (the steal fails, but counts as a use, but the Mafia learn the identity of the Janitor of course) or frame them (same deal)

* Vagabond - also known as the Wanderer, the Vagabond wanders around the world, and has seen the ruthless expansion of Quarky, and thus is aligned against the Quarky Agents. The Vagabond, from his/her travel experiences, knows a way to tag suspects, and if the tagged person is a QA, they will dissolved by the taggant chemical the next day (regardless of whether the Vagabond is still alive). The Vagabond is a semi-independent character and wins by killing BOTH Quarky Agents in this manner. Otherwise, the Vagabond wins with the Innocents. If the Vagabond tags the Defender, they are both immediately notified and the Vagabond and Defender get BTSC on the spot

* Policeman - the Policeman/woman (will refer to as male from now on for simplicity) can make one arrest per day. They must PM the arrest to me before the day is up, and the day post will include the arrest. The Policeman cannot arrest himself, nor any dead players (ie, the person lynched that day), nor any players previously arrested. The arrested player spends the following night with the Policeman in the Denbrain jail. The Policeman can ask one question, PMed to me, who is PMed to the arrested player, who PMs back to me. After that, the Policeman can release the arrested player (at which point the arrested player can be their normal role in the night & get killed/saved/etc) or keep the player in jail until morning. If the arrested player is saved and was kept in jail, the saving role cannot enter the jail to save them, obviously. If the arrested player is targeted for death and was kept in jail, depending on what baddie group went after him/her, the player may or may not survive and there may or may not be other repercussions relating to the Policeman and the baddie group (it depends on the baddie group and the circumstances). If a player is kept in jail overnight after the question is asked, they cannot use their night ability, and it also a general finger-of-suspicion type thing. The player is released in the morning and can never be arrested again. If the Policeman is targeted for death, certain things happen depending on who was arrested and whether or not they were kept or released, etc

* Street Vendor - the SV sells tacos, sausages, burritos, gorditos, wraps, pretzels and paninis out on the streets of Denbrain. However, he/she has lots of underworld contacts... the Mafia let him/her sell on this street, or that corner. They could dispatch him/her at any time (via a PM to me) for free. They don't know his/her identity, though. Anyway, back to the SV: they see everything that goes on at night. Who the Doctor/Healer/Phoenix/Defender saves, which QA (MoE or MoD) went after which target, as well as the Janitor's choice of person, the role, and then the decision whether to carry it out. The SV is also told the Innocent/Baddie role of each player that died during the night, as well as if a Masked Lover died during the night. The SV doesn't know anything about the Mafia safehouse, but gets to see who was Framed if a frame occurred, as well as who the Godfather collects info on (but not the result). The SV also knows who the MoE investigates (but not the result), as well as if the SB lie detects, but not who the SB lie detects and not if the MoD corrupts the result. Last but not least, the SV learns who the Grim Reaper used the death scent on, if anyone. Useful for the Innocents? You bet, unfortunately the SV is a contact for the Mafia, if you've forgotten. The SV, at any time, can PM me a message (containing data that the SV knows, but doesn't necessarily have to be telling the truth) which I send on to the Mafia. They can decide when they want to dispatch the SV, if at all. This is a complex and tough role to play, but rewarding

* Tax Collector - each day, can choose one person to remove from the poll that day only, ie, the person chosen cannot vote (and everyone is informed of this as soon as I get the PM and update the roster so that person can't vote). The Tax Collector must PM the vote removal at a time when 50% or less of the people playing have voted- I will check the time on the PM when I get it and compare with the times of posts

Additional Roles:

These are roles that are independent of your main role...

* Tiebreaker - randomly determined by me. If there is a lynching tie, and the Tiebreaker is on one of the tying sides, that side wins. If there is a tie but the Tiebreaker is NOT on one of the tying sides, someone has to switch to break the tie

* Masked Lovers - these tragic romantics don't know who the other Lover is, but if one of the Lovers is lynched, they recognize their Lover and the two die together. The Lovers, being tragic and all, consist of 1 Mafioso and 1 Innocent. Thus both Lovers are informed that they are a Lover, but not the identity of their fellow Lover. Specifically, the pick chances are weighted 1:3:5 (in ninths, ie 1/9, 3/9, 5/9). For the Mafia, it's Godfather:Thief:Bankroller. For the Innocents, it's Policeman:Defender:TaxCollector.

BTSC:

* Mafia has BTSC

* Yakuza has BTSC

* the two QAs only get BTSC after:

** they both pick the same person to kill (the kill happens)

** one picks the other, the other picks someone (they meet up, but no kill happens)

** they both pick the other person (no kill happens)

* the Janitor and the Ninja have BTSC from the beginning of the game

* the Doctor and Healer get BTSC if:

** they both save the same person

** they both save each other

** one of them saves the other

* the Vagabond and Defender get BTSC if:

** the Vagabond tags the Defender

** the Defender saves Vagabond

CLARIFICATIONS OF DISPUTED POINTS:

1) when there is one QA left, he/she can kill every night

2) Lord Phoenix is immune only to QAs, nobody else, and is vulnerable to QAs after the transformation

3) The Yakuza are part of the Mafia after they get assimilated, ie, they get BTSC and stuff, and their roles are Goons, lowly hitmen of the Mafia with no ability

4) BTSC means Behind The Scenes Contact

5) Dispatching the SV doesn't cost the Mafia a kill or anything, they can do it anytime via a PM to me

VOTING HELP:

To add your vote:

1) reply to the most updated roster

2) add a space after your name, then a dash ("-") then another space, then the words "voting for" and then another space and then someone's name, COLOR-CODED

3) if someone else has already voted for the person, use the existing color they used for the name. If you are the first person to vote for the person, make up a new color (not yellow or grey please)

Color Coding:

#) Name - voting for [color=COLOR HERE]Name[/color]

Please retain all the grey dead colors, question mark colors, lynched-people colors, etc (this isn't hard if you just Reply/Quote the next-most-updated roster that has all the colors).

Also, if a baddie has been lynched and has his/her role as red, do not use plain red as a color for voting for someone. If an Innocent has been lynched and has his/her role as blue, do not use plain blue as a color for voting for someone.

Also, don't leave the final roster in QUOTE tags, or future quoters won't be able to get it... so take away the QUOTE tags before and after so it's in plain text.

This may be all common sense, but a surprising number of people have problems with our color-coded voting system ;D

Good luck everyone

Host: Unreality

1) GC

2) Frozen

3) Frost

4) Brandonb

5) Dawh

6) Ysan

7) LIS

8) Clueless

9) Twoaday

10) Cherry Lane

11) Johnson

12) Puzzlegirl

13) ROF

14) Mekal

15) Rene

16) CrazyPainter

17) Pw0nzd

18) Dusty

19) LM

20) Dnae

21) Tolecnal

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"Aaaaarggh!" the Ninja roared in defiance, sprinting toward the Grim Reaper, katanas gripped tightly in hand. The Ninja could feel the sweat dripping down his back, his black fighting armor soaking up the blazing sun. Under his padded feet was bronze sand speckled with streaks of metallic crimson, and he had to push hard with his powerful, trained muscles to build up the intense speed that he required for this move. Off toward the east, massive dunes rolled up, rearing high into the majestic desert air, glowing in the splendor of the vibrant sun and massive azure sky- not a cloud could be seen, and no wind stirred. This was the most deadly part of the vast desert, not even little stubbly cacti grew here. There were no water holes, no oases, no hawks soaring overhead, no little mice scuttling into their burrows covered by scratchy brown grass. No signs of life, vegetation, or water at all. Just the raw beauty of the power of the desert.

Oh, and the Ninja and his ancient enemy, the Grim Reaper.

The Ninja ignored the far-off sand dunes, which threatened to cast the sun's sharp glare into his eyes- for the sand was already tapering off in this spot, revealing dry, cracked earth underfoot- crusty dirt frozen into cracking circular plates by time and dehydration alone.

When the Ninja's feet reached this more solid ground, his speed increased even more, pounding on the hard, dry earth as he hurtled toward his opponent- he was just a speeding black blur now, the sun glinting off the twin katanas, slashing the light around like the divine eviscerators of Unreality Himself.

The Grim Reaper just stood at the other end of the sun-bleached basin, cloaked in black and wreathed in shadows. His tender black gloves gripped a long wooden shaft, gnarled and scarred over thousands of years of banishing souls. The end of the wooden shaft sort of morphed into an incredibly shiny metallic mineral, as if there was no distinction where the wood ended and the deathly steel began. The top of the scythe blade was wavy and fancy, curled with elegant lines and ancient runes, but it quickly sharpened to a lethal point, a tip so small that the untrained eye could not tell it apart from the air itself.

One might think this was a strange sight, two warriors clothed in pure black in the middle of the most deadly sector of the blazing-hot desert, but the Grim Reaper did not mind the heat, and the Ninja was tough. Tough enough to last out, but his throat was already parched into crispy sandpaper and his pores unloaded sweat, making his ninja clothes stick to his skin uncomfortably. But he was the Ninja; he ignored all of this. Only one thing was on his mind. Perfect execution- of this combat move, and if all went well, of the Grim Reaper as well.

Closer still came the Ninja, arms and legs a blur. The Grim Reaper just waited, waited. He stood there peaceably, as if awing at the pleasant (or not-so-pleasant) weather. But his body was tensed and ready, unsure of the Ninja's intentions. Was this some sort of game of chicken? Finally the moment of impact had arrived. The Grim Reaper waited stoically, a statue of death among the shifting sands.

"RAAAAAAAA!" the Ninja cried, launching himself into the air at the perfect moment, kicking sand into the Reaper's eyes as the Ninja's feet sprinted up the Grim Reaper's body, giving his head a nice kick on the way, and then the Ninja leapt off from his nemesis' head and did a backflip off the GR as if he were a wall, landing perfectly in front of the Reaper, bringing the katanas down as he did so, slicing into the GR's fabric.

The Ninja stood there, dumbstruck, for almost a whole second before realizing that he'd been tricked. Furious, he sheathed his katanas onto his back and kicked one of the dummy parts. The slipped message in the Oasis market of a 'Grim Reaper sighting', the GR waiting peacefully in the middle of the desert- it had all been a humiliating setup.

"Or has it?" rasped a low, bad@ss voice from right behind the Ninja. By the time the Ninja swirled around, the real Grim Reaper had drawn the katanas from the Ninja's own back and brought them down like executioner's swords toward either side of the Ninja's neck.

With less than a split second to act, the Ninja threw himself to the ground (the katanas whizzing by overhead) and picked up the Grim Reaper's scythe- yes, the lifeless dummy had been holding the real scythe.

The two adversaries backed away from each other, holding each others' weapons: the Grim Reaper wielded the katanas, their long blades flashing in the sun, and the Ninja gripped the massive scythe, waiting for the GR to make the first move.

Finally the GR struck like a bolt of dark lightning, the katanas whizzing through the desert air, and the Ninja met him with equal force on the scythe, slashing it toward its true owner. The clash in the middle was so intense that it sent a shockwave reverberating across the desert, stirring up the sand and rattling the earth underfoot...

The steel was a whir, clashing and spinning and hacking and parrying, like two expert fencers in a fight for their lives in the middle of a desolate desert. Okay, maybe it was two expert fencers in a fight for their lives in the middle of a desolate desert.

The Ninja hadn't been trained very well with a scythe, but he had been trained in martial arts vigorously, and soon learned the ins and outs of using it- within seconds he learned to never swish it sideways, only chop and uppercut.

Meanwhile, the Grim Reaper was having a much easier time. The katanas were flying in his hands as if they were controlling themselves- a blur of metal in the endless dunes... the Ninja was having to dig deep into every reserve of energy he had to keep it up.

He slashed at the Reaper's feet, but the GR pivoted on one foot and brought the hilt of one of the katanas down hard on the Ninja's hard- the Ninja, off-balance from swinging the heavy scythe, crashed to the ground painfully. The Grim Reaper grinned (inside his dark hood) and flipped the katana around in his hand so the tip was pointing toward the Ninja's skull.

"Urrrgh!" the Ninja grunted, and hooked his feet into the dry dirt, pulling himself backwards with his leg muscles. His own katana plunged into the sand.

"Very good," the Grim Reaper said, smiling. Then pulled it out and threw it like a dart toward the Ninja's back. The Ninja twisted over as fast as he could, the hot sun filling his vision with bright light. He heard the whoosh of the sword as it impaled the ground next to his head. His hand flew up to the grab it but the Reaper had already swiped it away and was heading for his scythe now. The Ninja had to act quickly or the fight would be over- he focused all of his weight onto his shoulder blades, lifted his legs with his stomach muscles, and then swiped them in a rapid circular arc toward the GR's feet.

The Reaper hissed and fell when the Ninja's feet swiped out his own, and the black spectre toppled to the sand. The Ninja quickly leapt up and dove over his adversary, rolling across the ground to the scythe. By the time the GR was back on his feet, the Ninja had recovered the scythe and was already swinging down for a fatal blow on the Grim Reaper's head.

But there was a swish of liquid darkness and the Grim Reaper swirled out of the way like a nomad dancer, bringing his katanas down hard on the outstretched shaft of the scythe, sending it swishing into the sand.

The Ninja roared and brought it swinging up to counter the GR's next attack and then somersaulted backwards, whipping the scythe as he did so, the blade cartwheeling through the air on a warpath toward the Reaper, who responded by dropping the katanas and plucking the scythe out of the air like a pirate would to a rapier. The Ninja, who had been sitting on the sand, dropped his head, crestfallen. He had lost- he was no match for the immortal Grim Reaper. The wraith advanced, scythe held high, posing for the kill.

"See you again, same time next month?" the Reaper asked, extending an arm for the Ninja. The Ninja nodded and let himself be pulled up. He collected the katanas dutifully and slipped them into his back harness.

"That was a nice trick you pulled, with the running up my body thing," the Grim Reaper commented as he tucked away his scythe.

"That was a nice trick you pulled," snorted the Ninja. "Putting a combat dummy in the middle of nowhere. I can't believe I fell for that!"

"As your mentor, I have to test your abilities thoroughly," the Reaper commented. "It's not just about speed and skill- it's about intellect, about logic, about experience."

"Yes, Master," muttered the Ninja. "I'll keep that in mind."

The two legends parted, leaving behind them a barren desert- it was a tradition, the young Ninjas learning from the ancient and knowledgeable Grim Reaper- neither party knowing that much later the Ninja masters would eventually become the hated enemies of the Grim Reaper, and vice versa. It was a feud that would span centuries, and come to an epic finale in the small town of Awesomeville- the Grim Reaper had finally killed the Ninja, but then he had been taken out himself, so the war would continue into Pengville inconclusively and then onto Denbrain, where it may or may not come to an epic close...

Denbrain, present-day

A big city has many sides, many facets, many aspects- some visible, some not. Denbrain is tucked away between the massive mossy-green flanks, almost vertical, of the mighty mountains that surround it. The city is a sprawl covering the entire valley floor, a sort of ellipse shape, with the edges of the city ramping up a little on the slopes of the mountains in a mash of sloped streets and little white villas tumbled together on the steppes and terraces crawling the mountainsides.

Rising high up the sheer green flanks, through the mist, passing ledges and nests, you would eventually pass the treeline and find yourself climbing higher into the majestic clouds where fresh ice shavings spiral around lazily in the thin, alpine air. Some of the peaks rear into a mighty crown of ice and refracted sun, some top out much shorter into grassy plateaus and lush valleys. All around the mountains are waterfalls: tumbling from hidden recesses in the rock, sliding from snowmelts farther up, careening from dark caves, burbling from springs in the mountainous ground... from Denbrain, you can see these waterfalls tumbling down from mossy ledges and falling (sometimes for very long ways) before disappearing into the dense green foilage on the mountains. On some of the more sheer cliff faces, the waterfalls splash down on very steep precessions, making the entire cliff face damp with wet moss. Eventually most these waterfalls cascade down to the edges of Denbrain, where the droplets fall continuously into clouds of refreshing mist, and where kids splash and play in the deep pools formed by the pounding waters. Some of the larger waterfalls are used to generate power and are channeled into canals that snake into the city.

The city. Denbrain is like a European town on the Mediterranean seaside, despite being shielded by mighty mountains. There are plenty of parks and flower-lined avenues, with the Town Hall in the exact center of the distorted ellipse- the Town Hall is more of a skyscraper and less of a hall, and the glass structure rears out of a beautiful, fountain-lined, cobbled square where the villagers and citizens meet. This is the town square 'of justice', with the Town Hall at one end, and the massive Denbrain Explorers Society at the other, creating a large square between them. Around this area is an urban sprawl of brick sandwich shops, tall department stores flashing exotic fashions from the distant archipelagos, bakeries that entice you with their rich aromas, beaten in smell only by the small coffee shops, with battered bronze tables outside for customers to enjoy the sunny streets- and a lot of streets there are, too! The majority of streets are small, narrow and winding, many of them cobbled in brown like an Italian town, with some of the main thoroughways paved for cars- though there aren't that many cars in Denbrain- you'll see more bikes than cars.

In the middle of the hilly, more grassy sections of the city you'll see rich suburban neighborhoods, and there are many other residential areas scattered across the city, some smaller neighborhoods reminiscent of Awesomeville, as well as some sandy squares surrounded by mango-vine-entangled villas reminiscent of Oasis.

But Denbrain is not all the jolly town it seems. In the dark of night, when vaporous clouds of mist drift past the dirty streets of the 'real' downtown, a door recessed into the ground might open for a few seconds, a shadowy figure slipping in or out of an underground, illegal gambling den. A group of young boys recently having made their first contact job with the Mafia may walk down the street past you, feeling invincible and tougher than they are... feeling above the law. For a different sort of law rules in the underground of Denbrain, the code of criminals and gangs. The Mafia, of course, rule the streets- if you're a Street Vendor selling at the edge of 4th and Nightmonger, it means the Mafia let you sell there. If that trio of hookers on the corner had ever ripped a Mafioso off, they wouldn't be there anymore. See that beggar? He gives 60% of his income to the Bankroller.

But the Mafia ain't the only gang in town... the Yakuza has moved in fresh from an archipelago so far west that it's east. They've set up in the back of a brightly lit Japanese sushi restaurant, playing their cards carefully- literally and figuratively, for nobody wants to get into a turf war with another gang. Or do they? Nobody knows what the Yakuza's intentions are, it's all hazy.

These types of people aren't the only shadowy folk in Denbrain. Far from it. Living in indulgent penthouse apartments are the QAs, secret agents out of the neighboring country of Quarky. After the destruction of its capital months before following some cataclysmic events in Awesomeville, Quarky wanted back at Content Phoenix. The QAs were agents fresh from the training compounds of Quarky, inserted into Denbrain to take out its enigmatic leader, Lord Phoenix.

And, last but never least, the shadowy wraith from a forgotten time, the Grim Reaper, is in town. He/she is back and as powerful as ever- in fact, more powerful. The death scent is a vital new skill to add to the master's arsenal.

But do not despair! All hope is not lost, for there are valiant citizens and brave people among the crooks of Denbrain, people that will gather in the town square and lynch one person every day until the baddie menace is gone.

High in the mountains around Denbrain, if you climbed up a narrow rocky path curving around an ancient cliff, you would find yourself at a monastery poking out of the highest icy crags, timeworn red flags flapping in the wind. Here is a man/woman of ancient knowledge, passed down from the generations, a wise Healer for whom many hike the great hike for their loved ones to be healed by herbs, concoctions and age-old remedies. The Healer has heard of the baddie menace threatening the city below, and has decided to descend through the ice-clustered clouds into the city to help his/her fellow Innocents.

And a Doctor has just been fired from the Denbrain Awespital for having a fake M.D., but no matter! He/she can just prowl around at night, looking for someone that needs a life-saving stitch-up. And do not forget Lord Phoenix, a person up ready to match wits with the Grim Reaper himself/herself.

The Inspector is back in Denbrain, a Private Eye sign hanging on the door to his/her detective's den. People hire the Inspector to investigate their claims, to delve into the criminal world and uncover identities of people that just need to go.

The Spy is a less legal type than the Inspector, but just as potent. The Spy hangs around, watching, waiting, following. They say that if the Spy wants to break into someone's house, they can do it, no problem. The Spy goes after specific people, looking for evidence and clues as to their true role.

Someone else is in town: an ex-terrorist-turned-Innocent known now as the Suicide Bomber, a man/woman with great potential. Of course, the Mafia have a few shady terrorist connections, and were informed when the Suicide Bomber defected to help the Innocents. The Mafia know who he/she is.

Do not forget the Ninja. Wherever the Ninja goes, the Grim Reaper goes, and wherever the Grim Reaper goes, the Ninja goes. They are locked in an eternal struggle of dominance and philosophy. And the Ninja is ever-thankful for the watchful Defender, who follows the Ninja cautiously, checking for danger. The Defender cannot help the Ninja if the town wants him/her dead, but the Defender can certainly step in at night.

There are other roles to help the Innocents, of course. The Policeman is very dedicated to his/her job, eager to help. In other towns, conflict with the Mafia was never brought into the Policeman's jurisdiction, as they didn't have a police branch, but here, the Policeman could certainly help.

The Janitor... needs no explanation. The Tax Collector does his/her part, visiting people to inform them of their debt, which renders someone's vote inexistent. The Tax Collector may lie about someone's taxes now and again to keep them out of the vote, but he/she will do whatever he/she can to help the Innocents.

The Vagabond has wandered into town, drawn by rumors of QAs- in all his/her wandering, the Vagabond has seen the injustice of Quarky and is determined to stop it. The Vagabond has come armed with his/her powerful taggant chemical. And then of course there's the Street Vendor already mentioned. How far can he/she go without getting dispatched? A complex dance of wits will ensure that the Street Vendor is not an easy role to play.

All of these people are in Denbrain, and waiting nervously for the night to be over- or preparing for the long night ahead. Mafia VI has begun, and it will be intense and awesome... as the sun sets behind the mountains, and the first night of this war begins, prepare yourself for the earth shattering events to follow... the pwnage begins now.